I can’t think of any other condition other than Obesity that can result in chronic illness and death that has been ignored on such a grand scale. If you are in close proximity to someone with flu, what do you do? I’m pretty sure you get yourself out of their range and therefore out of danger.
So, what is it that makes people blind to the dangers of overeating?
In NLP (which is a study and analysis of human behaviour more than a therapy), we are taught that as humans we do 3 things with information; we delete some of it, we distort some of it, and we generalise some of it.
After we have done this we are each left with the interpretation of the information that creates our individual thoughts, beliefs and behaviours that makes us who we are. This is essential, otherwise we would have so much pure information in our minds that we couldn’t possibly process, so in many ways it serves us well, but when we delete important information it can allow us to do things even though we know they are bad for us.
Smoking as well as weight loss is another great example; we know that it is harmful and will almost certainly cause cancer and or other illness, but we delete this information, or distort it time-wise thinking we still have time to stop before it is too late.
We have a natural signal to eat – that’s what hunger is, and it’s important for survival, but how many times do you feed your body when it doesn’t need it? So, if someone is driven to eat without a genuine hunger signal, what is it that’s driving that behaviour? For many people they are eating to get a feeling or to numb a negative feeling. If you feel sad or even bored, and you associate a pleasant feeling with a particular food, then that is a pretty easy and instant option if you want to feel better. If you feel anxious you may reach for the carbs to distract you from or dumb down your feeling of anxiety. This is what emotional eating is all about.
When you feel good already, you don’t need to eat to get a good feeling. If you want to change your body you first have to change your mind. It can be surprisingly easy to change, but remember, it is also easy (sometimes easier) not to change. You have to choose.
In my private Members Area I show you a range of techniques including TFT, meditation and changing your mind maps and behaviours, that will stop you reaching for food whenever you feel stressed, bored, anxious etc.
TFT (Tapping) is one of the most effective. One of the contributory factors to feeling stressed, negative and anxious is when the body is in a state of negative polarity. In reality we all experience changing polarity and the body is always aiming to achieve the right balance. That’s what homeostasis means – being in balance. However, when our polarity is constantly negative we are more prone to self-sabotage and negative feelings including anxiety which can lead to comfort eating. If you’re a smoker and are trying to give-up then often food can be used as a ‘replacement’ for having a cigarette which leads to a different kind of addiction.
If any of the above resonates with you, I’d like to point you in the direction of a really helpful FREE download from my Power to Change website – simply click HERE and enter your details to receive ‘How To Change Your Own Mind’ audio meditation